


And Other Stories

by SuzuyaChan



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Blond!Levi, Compilation of Oneshots, Disney Prince!Levi, Disney World & Disneyland, Fluff, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, canonverse, cat!Erwin, dilf!eren
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2015-09-16
Packaged: 2018-04-20 02:44:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4770557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuzuyaChan/pseuds/SuzuyaChan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An anon asked me to put all of my work on here from tumblr so here we are!</p><p>Tumblr: <a href="http://levixeren.tumblr.com">levixeren</a></p><p>Each chapter will be a different complete oneshot, see the chapter summaries for warnings/length/fic summary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Photo(Shoot Me)

**Author's Note:**

> Model/Older brother!Levi au: Mikasa gets Eren an internship with her older brother's company and Eren spend the time pining (more like thirsting tbh) over a certain model...
> 
> Written for summer ereri week days one and three (it was two parts) and can be found [here](http://levixeren.tumblr.com/post/120452731039/edit-now-with-part-two-day-one-of-ereri-week) if you really want it idk
> 
> Length: 2k

This couldn’t be real. He couldn’t be real. Those abs were definitely one hundred percent  _not real_.

“Eren? Eren, are you listening to me?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, sorry,” he said, scratching the back of his head and looking away from the model in front of him. It was his first day on the internship that Mikasa had managed to get for him with the company her older brother worked for – Eren was yet to actually meet the guy, but he wasn’t all that bothered. Fashion photography wasn’t exactly Eren’s passion, what he really wanted to be was a photojournalist; there just wasn’t much experience going around in photography unless you knew someone, so really he’d take what he’d get. And apparently what he got was sitting in on a shoot for the most impossibly good looking man he’d ever seen. He definitely wasn’t complaining.

“Once the shoot’s over Levi’ll come and talk to you; he likes to stay in the zone until it’s done,” explained the assistant – Petra, was it? “Whilst you wait you can just watch if you like, there’s nothing else for you to do at the moment.” Eren nodded and turned his vision back to the man standing shirtless in front of a white screen, wearing nothing but tight fitting white trousers that clung to his sculptured legs. He turned around, leaving Eren to gawp at the perfect way the muscles in his back shifted as he moved, he looked back over his shoulder, grey eyes fixed intensely on the camera lens and hand snaking up through his hair, revealing more of his undercut. Eren’s eyes raked down his body, breathing in sharply when the man cocked his hips out to the side, emphasising the flawless curve of his ass. The brunet took out his phone and typed out a quick message to Mikasa.

_thank u so much for getting me this internship the model rn is so hot omg_

_his abs were chiselled by gods or s/t i stg_

“Erd, can you get the water?” called the photographer and the other man obliged. “Smiles for this one, okay?”

“What kind?” asked the model and Eren thought he might just melt, his voice was deep but not stupidly so, with a slight huskiness to it; it fitted him perfectly.

“Let’s try a three?” The teen didn’t have much time to wonder what a three was before a man dumped an entire bucket of water over the model’s head and he looked up with an expression that Eren was pretty sure was going to put him in cardiac arrest. Water dripped down from his dark hair across his face, an open mouthed smile curving his lips in a playful way that managed to sit perfectly between sexy and boy-next-door. If this was what a ‘three’ smile was, the guy should probably do it  _all the time_. Eren didn’t believe in love at first sight, he really didn’t. But goddamn if that smile didn’t make him feel like he could change his mind.

There was another fifteen minutes solid of Eren just gawping at the model, he knew he should probably close his mouth – or focus on the photographer, seeing as that was what he was there for. But he just couldn’t help it, it was like there was some magnetic force between his eyes and the guy’s abs. He may or may not have liveblogged the entire thing to Mikasa.

_fuck mikasa he’s so hot_

_like soooooo hot_

_srsly its only through sheer will power im not hard_

_that was probs tmi but i just dont care_

_i would lick every inch of his body_

_fuck photojournalism i just wanna take photos of this guy forever_

_preferably naked_

_and in my bed_

“Okay we’re done here, thanks everyone,” called out the photographer and Eren started slightly, putting his phone in his pocket – how long had he been sitting there? He scrunched up his face and closed his eyes, rubbing at them, until a voice caused him to look up.

“Sorry, it can be shit-boring.” Eren’s eyes met steel grey, before drifting down to the still wet torso in front of him – damn, it was even better close up. The brunet had the overwhelming urge to lick the droplets of water slowly dripping down the model’s chest.

“Fuck,” he muttered, voice almost reverent. The man snorted.

“At least buy me a drink first,” he said, pulling out a smirk that fucking topped smile ‘three’ and chuckling lightly; Eren’s eyes widened in a mix of horror at himself and awe of the man in front of him. “You’re Eren, right? I’m Levi,” he continued, offering his hand.

“Wait, shit,” he said, the realisation hitting him hard. “You’re Mikasa’s brother?”

God, he was  _so_  dead.

* * *

 

“How many times do I need to say I’m sorry?” huffed Eren, pulling the throw off the back of the sofa and huddling himself in it.

“Until the memory of you thirsting over my  _brother_ disappears,” retorted Mikasa, sitting down on the other side of the sofa and picking up the controller. “God, I can’t even  _look_  at you, Eren.”

“It’s been a week!” he said, but Mikasa ignored him in favour of flicking through the channels to find Game of Thrones; they still had a few minutes until the episode aired but they weren’t going to risk missing any of it. It’d become a tradition for the two of them to watch the show together at Mikasa’s house, mostly because when they’d started watching it two years back Carla had thought Eren was too young, so he’d had to go to Mikasa’s to see it; now he was actually eighteen but the habit had stuck.

The last week had been pretty crazy. He spent most of the time with Levi, meeting the various photographers he worked with and hearing about the industry and how he’d gotten in – apparently a talent scout had seen him in a fight after someone called him a ‘faggot’ and been so impressed by his grace whilst beating the shit out of the guy, he’d paid his bail when Levi had ended up in jail for it. Eren wasn’t sure whether he was impressed, scared, or little bit turned on. Maybe all three. He did get on with the older guy though; he found out that aside from his photoshoots he kept a similarly stoic and impassive expression to Mikasa and that they even had the same deadpan humour. Eren had the overwhelming feeling that Levi was teasing him, though. There was a lot of ‘accidental’ bumping into him followed by a break in the impassive face with a little pull up of the lips as he said in a low voice “Oh, sorry” without sounding it at all. Eren wasn’t complaining. Well, actually, he was. Goddammit if the guy  _liked_  him then he’d be all for…well, pretty much anything; but he couldn’t be sure Levi wasn’t just messing him around a bit.

The opening theme started and Eren was absent-mindedly singing along when the front door opened.

“Has it started?” called a voice and he froze. No way.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” sighed Mikasa, before speaking up. “Just the opening.”

“Good,” said Levi walking into the living room and stopping at the sight of Eren, arching his eyebrow slightly at the younger man; his face either suggestive or surprised, the brunet wasn’t entirely sure: everything Levi did seemed naturally a bit suggestive, maybe that was just Eren’s mind though. “Hey Eren,” he said, still standing by the door, earning him a huff from Mikasa.

“Yes, hello, hello, sit down will you? It’s about to start,” she said before Eren had the chance to reply and Levi obliged. There was an entire other sofa to the one that Eren and Mikasa were sat on, but no, the older man gave his sister a meaningful look (the brunet wasn’t quite sure what it meant, but there was definitely something there) before sitting down right between them just as the opening finished.

Eren could barely focus on the show, he could feel the warmth emanating from Levi and it was making his brain go hazy. It especially wasn’t helped when the other man leant over and whispered “Hey, can I have some of the blanket?” Eren nodded, freeing up some of the throw so Levi could pull it around him as well and continued to half watch the show. All semblance of attention was lost when Eren felt the back of Levi’s hand on his thigh. Fuck, was that an accident? His index finger stroked slowly across Eren’s leg and the brunet’s breath hitched slightly. Definitely not an accident. Just as Eren was gearing himself up to reciprocate the action: the ad break began. Levi huffed and stood up, sending Eren a small smile that made his heart jump in his chest.

“I’m gonna make some drinks,” he said, his voice deceptively innocent. “Eren, d’you wanna get some crisps or something?” he asked as he walked towards the kitchen and Eren tried his hardest to keep his reply neutral.

“Yeah sure.” He stood up and followed Levi through the hall and to the kitchen, practically buzzing with excitement. He expected to walk in and be pressed against the wall or something; but to his surprise found Levi actually making tea. Wait, wasn’t this some kind of rendezvous? Feeling bitterly disappointed he went over to the Ackerman’s snack cupboard, opening it and reaching in to grab a share bag of crisps: he let out a small squeak when he felt to hands wrap around him from behind and lips at his neck.

“I’ve wanted to do this all week,” the older man muttered between kisses. “God, you make my job so hard.” Eren turned, somewhere between alarmed and ecstatic:  _he’d_  been making  _Levi_ feel like that? The older man pressed him back against the counter and Eren reached for him, pushing the hair out of Levi’s face before cupping his hand around his cheek and leaning down to kiss him.

It was a sweet, innocent kiss for all of two seconds before Eren’s hands were curled in Levi’s hair and Levi’s teeth were nibbling at his bottom lip; their bodies flushed together. Levi hummed into the kiss and the brunet practically moaned at the sensation mixed with the way the older man’s hands were grasping at his back roughly beneath his t-shirt.

“Hurry up, it about to start a–.” Mikasa stopped midsentence, stood in the doorway to kitchen; her face the picture of composure, save for the carefully arched eyebrow. “I hate you both, you know that right?” she deadpanned as Eren and Levi untangled themselves, both avoiding her gaze. And with that she left again. The two looked at each other before Eren burst out laughing and even Levi chuckled slightly.

“We’re dead.”

“So dead,” Levi confirmed, kissing him lightly before taking his hand and returning to the living room forgetting completely about the snacks and drinks. Mikasa glared at them when they entered; sat resolutely in the middle seat in obvious attempt to make them sit either side of her and Eren would have obliged guiltily if it hadn’t been for the way Levi pulled him to the other sofa and practically snuggled into him once they’d sat down.

It was the best goddamn episode of Game of Thrones Eren had ever watched.


	2. Where Dreams Come True

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi has a summer job dressed as Prince Eric in Disneyland and a little girl dressed as Ariel takes quite the liking to him and Levi takes a liking to her Dad.
> 
> dilf!Eren but Levi is early twenties and Eren is late twenties; pure fluff tbh
> 
> lenth: 1.6k
> 
> on tumblr: [here](http://levixeren.tumblr.com/post/120541864919/day-two-summer-job-couldnt-resist-some)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> written for ereri week summer 2k15 day two

If anyone ever found out about this then that was it: Levi’s life would be over.

And theirs too, just to make sure the information didn’t spread too far.

He’d been reluctant to take the job at Disneyland when he thought he was just going to be letting shitty brats on rollercoasters or cleaning toilets – but no: he wasn’t doing any of that. Levi Ackerman had to spend the summer dressed as Prince-fucking-Eric from The Little Mermaid. Apparently the usual guy had broken his leg and so the junior manager, Hanji, had decided that somehow with his perpetually pissed off expression, distinct undercut and short stature Levi was absolutely perfect to take on the role of the dashing prince.

So there he was with his wig, bright blue trousers and his stupid white jacket with the golden frills. He hoped that at first glance he wasn’t recognisable, but then people tended to take a couple of glances seeing as he was a short-ass version of a Disney prince. People even took photos. Mostly the kids seemed to avoid him, maybe some basic survival instinct – but there were a couple who would fling themselves at him a demand that he marry them or ask him about Ariel and his daughter. Levi wasn’t exactly great with kids, but he tried: it wasn’t their fault he was stuck in this shitty job. He wasn’t going to be the one to fuck up their childhood memories of Disneyland.

“ERIIC!” called a girl’s voice from behind him and Levi swivelled around to see a very tiny and absolutely fucking adorable Ariel. The girl flung herself at him, grabbing around his waist and hugging tightly.

“Hi there, Ariel,” he said, falling easily into his ‘Disney Prince’ voice. Mostly it annoyed him when kids attached themselves to him, but damn this one was cute with her huge green eyes peering up at him and thick red hair, tied into a slightly messy plait – Levi chuckled, it’d taken a long time for him to perfect plaits for his younger cousin Mikasa, so he understood.

“M’not Ariel, I’m Isabel!” she declared, burying her head into his stomach so forcefully he almost fell over. He managed to pry her off of him and knelt down so they were on a level.

“Okay, Isabel, do you know where your mum or dad is?” he asked and she looked at him very seriously with those huge ocean-like eyes.

“I don’t have a mummy and daddy’s buying pancakes,” she said – Levi took in a deep breath, kids running off from their parents was always a pain, he’d have a look around and if not go to the office and call out on the megaphone.

“Izzy? Isabel? Sweetheart, where are you?” came a voice from behind Levi and he went to stand up, but the girl grabbed him around the neck.

“DADDY!” she called right in his ear and Levi winced slightly. “Daddy, it’s Eric!”

“It is, you’re right, but maybe you should let go of him Isa, that doesn’t look very comfortable,” he told the girl, his voice evidently relieved. Isabel let go of Levi long enough for him to stand and face the man, before grabbing him around the waist again.

Oh dear Lord. He supposed now he knew where Isabel’s eyes came from: the bright mix of green and blue stared down at him and he just stared back. The man was perfect. Older than Levi, but not by much, with perfectly tanned skin and brown windswept hair that almost fell to his shoulders and half-covered one of his beautiful eyes. His skinny jeans and tight grey t-shirt, rolled up to the elbows, perfectly showed off his toned body.

“Sorry, I turned around and she’d gone,” he said, pushing his hair out of his face with the hand not holding a bag of food.

“Don’t worry about it, as long as she’s safe right?” Levi shrugged, looking down at the girl still hanging onto his waist. The man grinned at him and Levi tried to ignore how fucking dazzling it was. Goddammit, why did he have to be dressed like a fucking idiot?

“Isa, sweetheart, are you gonna let go of the nice man, now?” said the man as he bent down to be on a level with his daughter.

“No,” said the girl, her voice muffled by Levi’s stomach.

“Sorry, Eric’s her favourite – I guess it’s the whole red-hair thing,” he said scratching the back of his head. “I’m Eren by the way,” he offered a hand and Levi managed to free one of his to shake it, noticing the way Eren’s eyes glanced at the white glove with amusement.

“Levi,” he offered, not really thinking until Eren huffed a laugh.

“Not Eric, then?” he said with a playful smile.

“I’m not exactly prince material,” said Levi grimacing.

“You look pretty good to me,” said Eren with a shrug and the younger man looked up questioningly, watching as the brunet’s eyes widened slightly and he looked away. “Maybe a little short,” he added.

“First you trap me with your child, then you insult me: nice.” Eren laughed.

“Hey, it’s just a fact. It’s only an insult if you think it’s a bad thing,” he said, pausing a second before adding, “Which I don’t.”  Levi appraised him for a while quietly, before his eyes came to rest in the bag in the man’s hand.

“You should probably eat that, it’ll get cold,” he said and Eren looked confused for a moment before realising.

“Oh right, yeah.” He turned around and looked for a bench, before looking back at his daughter and realising the problem. “You wouldn’t, uh, mind coming with us would you? It’s just, I’m not sure she’s gonna let go of you.” Levi looked down at the kid still hugging him and shrugged. He supposed his day could be worse.

Isabel agreed to let go of Levi’s waist in order that he could walk to the bench properly, but insisted on holding his hand with both of hers and then, once he’d sat down, she promptly seated herself on him rather than the bench. Normally this shit would annoy Levi, but there was something about the little girl that made him smile and besides, the way her dad beamed at him wasn’t exactly unwelcome. Eren offered him a crepe (“It’s not a pancake, Isa, it’s a _crepe,_  can you say that?” “Crap!” “…okay let’s stick with pancake.”) and he took it; he wasn’t entirely sure he was supposed to eat on the job, or really spend this much time with a specific family, but fuck it: he didn’t really care.

“How long have you been doing this?” asked Eren, gesturing to Levi’s costume.

“About a month,” Levi replied, not able to help the small grimace that came with thinking about his job. “I need some money for my last year at college and I know someone who works here – they didn’t tell me I’d be doing this.” He made a face and Eren laughed.

“So that makes you, what? 20? 21?” Levi nodded. “God, I had Isa at your age, that’s so weird,” he said to himself more than Levi.

“How old is she?” Levi asked, nodding towards the little girl busily eating a crepe on his lap and hoping Eren wouldn’t notice that he was attempting to indirectly find out how old  _he_ was.

“Six,” he said, with a knowing smile. So Eren was no older than 27. That wasn’t too bad, right?

They finished their food and stood up, Isabel immediately reattaching herself to Levi.

“Isa, you need to leave Prince Eric alone now,” said Eren but the younger man just shrugged.

“To be honest, most of the kids are scared of me anyway,” he said and the brunet looked at him uncertainly.

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

“I finish in an hour, I don’t think it really makes a difference,” Levi replied, trying not to seem desperate to spend more time with the ridiculously hot guy. Dammit, there were probably rules against this.

Levi ended up being dragged around by Isabel for the rest of the hour but he really didn’t mind – and not just because of Eren. She was a cute kid, if a little demanding, and she didn’t do any of the shit kids usually tried, like pulling off his wig or wiping spit and snot on him. He spent a lot of the time talking to Eren, whilst Isabel ooh-ed and ahh-ed at everything and held resolutely onto his wrist. The only issue they had was when it was time for Levi to clock out.

“No!” Isabel refused, holding Levi around the waist once more; he looked down at the kid in alarm – no child had ever been quite so attached to him before.

“But sweetheart, he needs to leave,” reasoned Eren, throwing Levi apologetic glances.

“He’s my prince!” she said, sounding teary.

“He’s not  _really_  Eric, Isa, it’s just his job to dress up as Eric, okay?” Eren tried, but apparently unveiling his true identity had no effect on Isabel’s feelings.

“I  _know,_ ” she said, elongating the last word and frowning at her father.

“Then will you let him go sweetie?”

“No,” she huffed, turning her face so it was pressed once more into Levi’s stomach.

“Why?” asked Eren a little desperately.

“Because if he goes now I’ll never see him again.” And wow, neither of them had been expecting that. They looked at each other for a moment, before Eren spoke.

“I don’t think it has to be like that,” he replied, directing his words to the other man rather than his daughter. Levi met those questioning green eyes and felt a warmth seep through his veins, unable to resist a small smile.

“Neither do I,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it - comments and kudos are always wonderful!
> 
> Subscribe for notifications for new uploads or follow me on tumblr: [levixeren](http://levixeren.tumblr.com)


	3. When the Rain Stops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren takes shelter from a storm under the doorway to a shop and finds that he’s not the only one there; he ends up feeling strangely attached to the other man, but what will happen when the rain stops?
> 
> Length: 1.8k
> 
> on tumblr [here](http://levixeren.tumblr.com/post/120858313239/day-six-of-ereri-week-storm-previous-days-one)
> 
> Warnings: mentions of gun violence in the past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also written for ereri week summer 2k15 day six: storm
> 
> Eren wears glasses because of reasons

As if Eren’s day hadn’t been shitty enough already it was now fucking raining. No, not raining. Raining did not cover the absolute chaos that was the weather – it was like there was some huge hosepipe being held directly over the city. He’d checked the weather forecast that morning but the little sun semi-covered with a small white cloud didn’t even mildly resemble the grey monstrosities that dominated the sky.

It lit up, then barely a second later there was a large crash off thunder and Eren sighed. The rain had clogged up his glasses so badly that he was pretty sure his eyesight would improve if he just took the damn things off – and that was saying something, if his vision deteriorated any further he’d be classed as legally blind. He peered around and spotted a small doorway to a shop and, begging it would be open, made his way towards it.

As soon as he was under the cover of the arch he let out a long breath and trying to rid his glasses of rain water, before turning to the door and feeling all of his hope evaporate.  _Closed_. He lent back against the cold brick and practically growled in frustration.

“Same idea, huh?” asked a voice tonelessly and Eren jumped, he hadn’t noticed the other man taking cover in the doorway – unlike Eren the other man seemed pretty dry, his dark grey overcoat was a little wet, but it was waterproof whereas Eren’s own jacket was completely soaked through. The man’s hair glistened with rain, but had managed to retain its position falling almost artfully across his face – Eren pushed his own soaked hair out of his face awkwardly.

“Yeah, I’m not sure why I bothered really – I don’t think I can get any  _more_  wet,” he replied, grimacing a little as the cold began to seep uncomfortably through his clothes; whilst he was actually in the rain he hadn’t noticed it so much, but now he could feel the way the water made the material cling to him. He considered going back out but remembered that his glasses would just get clogged up again and he’d probably end up lost, or get hit by a car or something. Besides, he figured there were worse people to be trapped in an alcove with; the other guy seemed pleasant enough, if a little emotionless, and he was kind of weirdly good looking; maybe a little short. Eren considered the man again and decided that if they were going to sit out the rain together, it couldn’t exactly hurt to get to know each other a bit.

“I’m Eren, by the way,” he said and the other man looked at him, eyebrow arching in what was either surprise or indignation.

“Levi,” he replied and Eren grinned. “You should take your jacket off, it’s waterlogged.”

“Oh, right,” said Eren, obliging but a little taken a back. It was pretty cold, and he shuddered slightly, rubbing his hands together before breathing on them in an attempt to heat them up. “So what brings you here?”

“The rain,” Levi said and Eren chuckled nervously, unsure whether he was joking or not.

“Well yeah, but where were you going?” he asked.

“I don’t see why that’s any of your business,” replied Levi bluntly.

“It’s called small talk, I was being nice,” said Eren, feeling irritated; he’d never been known for his ability to control his anger and frankly the guy was being pretty rude. There was a long silence between them where Eren stared grumpily out at the rain, wishing it would stop so he could be away from the other man.

“To work,” said Levi and Eren looked up in surprise, the shorter man was staring fixedly at the storm beyond them. What was that? An indirect acknowledgement that he was wrong? Eren’s eye narrowed.

“Where d’you work?” he prompted – figuring that if the guy could have a normal conversation with him then Eren might promote him out of his current status of ‘rude asshole’.

“I own a tearoom about ten minutes from here,” he said and the brunet nodded, genuinely interested – it somehow didn’t fit the man’s appearance. “You?” Wow, extra points for continuing the conversation.

“Home, actually,” he said, remembering all the work he still needed to do that weekend and feeling his bad mood creep back over him. He huffed heavily looking out at the road-turned-river. “As if it wasn’t enough to be flooded with  _work_ …” he said bitterly, earning a slight snort from the other man.

“Ask for an extension,” he suggested. “I had a friend who lived on them at uni.”

“I’m twenty seven,” said Eren slightly indignantly, not entirely sure whether he should feel insulted or flattered.

“Oh,” said Levi, peering at his face slightly as if he was attempting to check the information. “The Mr Men top threw me off.” Eren looked down at himself and laughed, he’d completely forgotten about his Mr Strong t-shirt.

“I’ll let you off on that one,” he said, grinning, and earning a slight smile in response before the other man turned away from him. Huh, maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. “I work for a newspaper so I probably give off the harried, deadline-chasing vibe anyway,” he shrugged and Levi turned back to him.

“Journalist?” he asked and Eren snorted.

“I wish,” he said, grimacing. “Well, I  _wished_ ,” he amended. “I don’t know any more.”

“Not too late to change,” pointed out Levi and Eren raised an eyebrow. “It’s not,” he maintained. “I did it.”

Eren considered him carefully, wondering whether to ask or not; maybe it was a bit much for the somewhat socially challenged man he’d literally just met.

“If you’re gonna look at me like that you may as well ask,” said Levi tonelessly and Eren shifted his weight uneasily; he knew he was easy to read – but that tended to be with people he knew well, not complete strangers.

“I was trying to respect your privacy,” he said trying to seem aloof, but too genuinely interested to stay that way. “But if you’re willing to answer…” he suggested and Levi rolled his eyes.

“I was twenty-six actually, so maybe you  _are_ too old,” he deadpanned and Eren chuckled lightly.

“C’mon, tell me,” he said when Levi didn’t continue.

“Crime.”

“…what?” asked Eren blankly.

“I was big in organised crime. Got the bullet wounds and everything.” The brunet’s widened, fuck,  _what_? He was with a criminal. Well, an ex-criminal. An ex-criminal turned café owner. He caught a glint of amusement in the other man’s eyes and realised.

“You’re…you’re fucking with me!” he said, unsure whether or not to be pissed off.

“Not exactly,” he said, coming closer to Eren and taking off his overcoat before pulling up his sleeve, revealing two scars, one long, thin and slightly raised; the other roughly circular. The brunet gasped, hands reaching out instinctively towards the man’s arm: Levi jerked away slightly.

“Shit, sorry,” he said, letting his hands fall back to his sides, but the other man shook his head.

“It’s fine,” he said, lifting his arm back up, Eren tentatively reached towards him and brushed his fingers against the scars. He drew back, realising that his attention had slipped from the bullet marks to appreciating how incredibly toned Levi’s arms were and figured it was better to stop before the older man noticed.

“So, what d’you mean ‘not exactly’?” asked Eren as Levi spread his overcoat carefully over the shop step and sat on it; looking as if the action had physically pained him. He looked up at Eren and gestured to the other half of his coat and the brunet obliged.

“Well,” Levi said once Eren had sat down; the size of the coat meant they were relatively close together, sat looking out at the torrential rain. “I  _was_  big in organised crime, just not as a criminal.”

“Right,” said Eren, trying to seem as if he understood, Levi snorted softly.

“I was in the police,” he explained.

“Oh, _”_  the brunet sighed in realisation. “Did you stop ‘cause of…?” He nodded towards Levi’s arm.

“No, I…I lost some people – friends.” He coughed slightly, turning his face away so that Eren could only see the tightening in his jaw.

“Sorry,” he said quietly.

“It’s fine, it’s been eight years, so…”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean anything, it just – stuff doesn’t work like that,” said Eren, thinking back to his mother; it’d been sixteen years and he’d mostly learnt to cope; but the actual feelings were just as raw. They lapsed into silence, both watching the rain as it continued to fall heavily; creating a glistening curtain in front of them, almost like a waterfall. Eren briefly appreciated that their archway was raised a little from the floor as he watched the water flood the pavement. He shivered slightly, internally bemoaning the cold he’d inevitably have from sitting in cold, wet clothes for so long. Levi budged up slightly so their sides were pressed up together and Eren was grateful for the warmth of the other man’s body. They talked more: about their lives – past, present and future; their likes and dislikes; God, they even talked about politics. Eren just felt like it all fit somehow.

Eventually the rain let up, but the two of them stayed sat there for a while; neither quite willing to end their new found companionship. Eren’s initial impression of Levi had dissipated into a feeling that he couldn’t quite place, something more intimate and comfortable than he usually experienced; especially with someone he’d only just met.

Levi stood up and Eren followed his lead, picking up the coat from beneath him and shaking it a little before offering it back to the other man, then picking up his own sopping wet jacket.

“I’m going this way,” said Eren as they left their alcove, gesturing up the road.

“Me too.” They walked together until they reached a crossroad, a heavy feeling settling in Eren’s stomach.

“Left?” he asked.

“Right.”

“Oh.” They stood there for a moment, not directly looking at each other. “Uh, bye, then, I guess.”

“Yeah.” Eren nodded and turned; his heart beating hard, wanting so much to turn back around, not just walk away. He felt like he was making some terrible mistake, but didn’t know what to do; he began to walk, his leaden legs moving awkwardly, agonisingly. _Turn back. Just do it. Just turn back._

“Eren?” He stopped, not sure if he’d imagined the sound or not – he turned around slowly, seeing Levi still rooted to the spot, his eyebrows drawn in discomfort. Eren’s blood was pulsing so hard he could hear it, could feel it in every part of his body. “I, uh-” Levi broke off, swallowing hard before looking up at Eren. “I have tea. You could… _we_  could have some. Y’know, now. If you want.” he said awkwardly, gesturing the way towards his tearoom. Eren huffed out a laugh of relief, a smile beginning to curve his mouth; so even Mr Stoic could get flustered.

“Yeah,” he said, feeling warmth flood through him. “Yeah, I’d like that.”    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it - comments and kudos are always wonderful!
> 
> Subscribe for notifications for new uploads or follow me on tumblr: [levixeren](http://levixeren.tumblr.com)
> 
> Also thank you so much for the comments so far, I read all of them and they make me so happy thank you so much!!


	4. To You, 2000 Years From Then

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reincarnation AU  
> Levi had gotten tired of living every lifetime without meaning. When meaning finds him standing on the edge of a bridge, about to take his own life. But is it too late?
> 
> Warnings: suicide, past death (as it's reincarnation), angst
> 
> Length:1K
> 
> Fic accompaniment to my original song [Humanity's Last Hope](http://levixeren.tumblr.com/post/120941151749/day-seven-of-ereri-week-soul-mates-i-planned-to)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it starts off in first person for a little while - I'm not familiar with writing like this but I kind of like it

 

> _here’s no such thing as soul mates_
> 
> _Cause no matter how my heart aches_
> 
> _Nothing can change the way we’re fated_
> 
> _To be apart_  

You Only Live Once.

Oh, the irony of the modern age.

Maybe  _they_  do. Maybe  _their_ lives are just a one-time thing: they’re born, they live, they die. End of story.

What I wouldn’t give for that.

I can’t even remember the amount of lives I’ve lived: they haze together sometimes, like water on a page smudging one word into the next.

All I truly remember is the first time. The first life. But then, who could forget?

It took a while to get the hang of, living that is – or maybe not living, more like lying. Pretending. Keeping up the idea of normalcy, so people didn’t find out: not that it was that simple.

It’s strange how I’ve always ended up alone. Every single fucking time. Every death I’ve died over the years has been by myself.

What is this? Punishment? Retribution? Do I live out the number of lives I’ve ended?

But I didn’t know.

I didn’t.

Not at first, anyway.

I got into a habit. Each life would start; the years would go by and after a while I would…

I was fucked up.

I  _am_  fucked up.

You’d think it would get easier, after all I’ve done it so many times, I’ve given up, I’ve fucking-

The first few lives I didn’t; I aged. I couldn’t escape the idea that maybe if I lived longer I’d see you, that if I ended it then I might just miss you; but hope fades.

I was tired. So fucking tired.

So here I am again: heading out; rain pouring down like some pathetic fallacy bullshit and I’m fucking soaked to the bone. Not that it makes a difference, considering.

I made it to twenty this time. I don’t know how. Or why. Is it some cowardly part of me clinging onto life or does something within me still believe? That’s the thing about hope, it can fade but what’s left is resilient. You squash it down as far as you can; you know it’ll come to nothing and yet there it fucking is, looking up from the cracks in the pavement.

But it doesn’t make a difference now.

I’m here.

I’m careful as I walk across the top of the bridge. It’s stupid. So fucking ironic that it makes my stomach churn – or maybe that’s the height; or the view of the water below. I mean, what’s the point? I don’t want to accidentally slip and what? Die? Isn’t that what I’m here for?

I feel dizzy now.

I’ve never been afraid of heights, never been afraid of falling; but something feels so wrong. I can’t quite grasp – I don’t need to. I don’t need to grasp anything. I just need to fucking let go. Of this. Of you. Of everything.

You’re always the last thing I think of before I close my eyes.

 

* * *

 

Eren was tired. The car journey had been long and tedious; he’d promised himself he’d stop once the sun went down and yet he was still there. Something had kept him going. He didn’t have anywhere to go, he’d lived enough times to travel the world; no, now he was just running. From life, from memories, from his own fucking thoughts: everything.

There were barely any other cars on the road; not that it was surprising, the way the rain battered down on his windscreen and the darkness seemed to cling to the air. But there was some energy, something pulling him forward that he could neither place nor ignore.

Eren felt old. God, he was old – older than anyone he knew and yet trapped inside the body of young man. He always died young: every time. Car crashes, flu, wars, cancer, murder…the list went on. He knew he was reaching the end again. He was twenty-four, he’d never lived that long before. It made him feel like every moment could be his last, not that it would make a difference; he barely lived each time. That was the thing about knowing you were going to die, you began to start protecting people in advance – cutting them out before they got a chance to get too attached.

But Eren wasn’t just running. He was searching. He knew that who he was looking for was out there. Couldn’t picture a face. Couldn’t remember a name. It was just a feeling. He felt things that he knew weren’t his; small twinges and then once a life time there was something more. A pain that ripped through him. Decimated his senses. Left him crippled.

Eren rubbed his eyes, trying to keep himself awake as he stared out at the road, deciding that as soon as he was across the bridge that lay between the motorway and the nearest town he’d find somewhere to stay. His headlights lit up the road in front of him as he turned onto the long bridge that connected the landmasses; he looked out over the river that stretched away so far beneath the road. Something caught his eye. No, someone. Hands grasped onto the railings, body leaning over the edge. He knew that figure. He put the brakes on, barely waiting for the car to stop before pushing open the door and running; heart beating faster than ever. No. It couldn’t end like this. It couldn’t.

“Levi,” he screamed and the shoulders of the figure tensed. Eren remembered everything. This was what he’d been searching for. This was  _who_  he’d been searching for. The man turned, eyes wide with disbelief as he took in the sight of Eren before him. The brunet stopped short of Levi, his breathing and heartbeat erratic; he put his hand out, moving it slowly towards the other man and trying to control the way it shook. “Levi,” he said again, quieter this time. He looked so young. Younger than Eren remembered. And broken. Levi had always managed to be so together, everything went to shit and he kept going, but this Levi; he’d lived through worse than titans.

Levi reached towards his hand, intertwining their fingers and holding tight.

“E-Eren?” He was crying; tears congregating on his lashes as he tried to blink them away. His whole body was shaking and Eren moved his other arm around Levi’s back to help him back over the railings. The smaller man fell against him the full and unexpected weight of his body bringing the two of them to the pavement; arms still clutched around one another. Eren couldn’t bring himself to let go, he closed his eyes, burying his face into the warmth of Levi’s shoulder. “I thought I’d never – we’d never…” he trailed off and Eren felt the tears beginning to sting at his own eyes.

“Shh,” he said, pulling apart slightly so he could look Levi in the eye. “It’s okay.” He leant his forehead against the smaller man’s; the incompleteness that had haunted him from life to life filled at last. “We’re okay,” he added quietly.

 

> _You say that there’s such thing as soul mates_
> 
> _You felt it every time my heart ached_
> 
> _And that there’ll never be a reason_
> 
> _To be apart_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it - comments and kudos are always wonderful!
> 
> Subscribe for notifications for new uploads or follow me on tumblr: [levixeren](http://levixeren.tumblr.com) :o


	5. Untitled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blond!Levi and hairdresser!Eren
> 
> Levi loses a bet to Hanji and ends up with a mystery haircut from a super cute hairdresser...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> blond!levi was a good time i kinda miss it
> 
> on tumblr [here](http://levixeren.tumblr.com/post/124604040629/been-struggling-w-writers-block-lately-and-im)
> 
> length: 2k ish

“Why am I doing this, again?” Levi asked as he followed Hanji reluctantly down the high street; a deep feeling of unease settling in his stomach as they looked back at him with a somehow even more manic grin than usual.

“’Cause you lost the bet!” they exclaimed happily, turning forward again and skipping forward.

“What fucking bet?” he asked, utterly confused and more than a little pissed off. Levi knew it was a terrible idea to bet against Hanji in anything, the only idea worse than that would be betting again Erwin; surely he wouldn’t have done something so stupid.

“It was last week! I said ‘Do you think it’s possible for me break all of the available test tubes in Monday’s experiment?’ and you said ‘no’,” they reminded him, slowing down so the two were walking side by side. Levi’s eyebrows scrunched together as he tried to remember the conversation.

“What day?”

“Thursday. You were sitting there with some book or something,” they replied, shrugging. Levi narrowed his eyes: he’d been sat in his office when Hanji had barged in and decided to talk to him; as usual he’d continued his work and mostly ignored them, saying no to anything that sounded like a question.

Wait, shit.

“But I wasn’t even listening,” he said indignantly but Hanji just shrugged.

“You snooze, you lose,” they said in a sing-song voice, taking Levi by the wrist and pulling him forward; he shrugged it off and threw them a dirty look before walking on: he knew the battle was lost but he wasn’t going down without letting everybody around him know how pissed he was.

“Well, where are we going, at least?” Hanji just threw him another grin and kept walking.

It was another five minutes before they stopped and Levi almost walked head on into them.

“Here we are,” they said happily and Levi peered through the windows to see where Hanji had dragged him to.

“No,” he hissed, as he took in the leather padded swivel-chairs, the large mirrors and hair that littered the floor. “No fucking way Hanji.”

“You lost the bet Levi,” they reminded him, still smiling.

“No fucking-” he started but Hanji put their hands on his back and began to push him towards the open door.

“You. Lost. The. Bet,” they repeated as they shoved him inside and he almost tripped over the bottom of the doorframe.

“Hi,” said a voice, managing to sound enthusiastic and a little confused at the same time. “You okay there?” Levi looked up and felt his own jaw slacken. Looking down at him was a tanned twenty-something year-old with sweeping, dark hair and bright green eyes; the man cocked his head to the side and the green seemed to shift into blue.

“He’s just fine,” said Hanji, giving Levi a pat on the back and thankfully bringing him back to his senses enough not to just stare at the other man. “He’s got an appointment at twelve with Eren,” they continued and Levi nodded, his mind still stuck on those eyes and the defined cheekbones beneath them.

“Ah awesome, that’s me! Levi right? Can I take your jacket or anything?”

Levi managed to have his jacket replaced with an oversized black robe and be steered towards one of the leather padded chairs before he really took into account what was happening; he looked at himself in the large mirror and saw his own confused resignation looking back at him – it was too late now, he could hardly say ‘sorry, there’s been some kind of mistake’. No; he was at the mercy of Hanji and the hot hairdresser now.

“So what do you want doing?” asked Eren, half-sitting on the thin faux-marble counter that ran beneath the mirror, his hand fiddling with the cord of a hairdryer lying next to him.

“Ah that’s where I come in,” interrupted Hanji stepping forward and leaning their weight on the top of Levi’s chair making him swing slightly; he attempted to ground himself but found that his legs weren’t long enough to reach the floor. Goddammit.

“…right?” said Eren, looking more than a little confused, eyes darting between the two.

“I lost a bet,” huffed Levi, looking away and the hairdresser’s eyes widened.

Hanji stepped forward to explain and as they went on Eren’s confused expression turned into amusement.

“How did you break over seventy test tubes?” he asked in awe and Hanji’s eyes lit up with a kind of manic excitement that Levi knew would mean they were stuck here for a week as they explained.

“No,” he said firmly. “Seriously, you don’t wanna go there; you won’t survive the in depth explanation.” Eren laughed slightly and conceded before being dragged away by Hanji to find out whatever the hell they wanted done to Levi’s hair. The man spent the time staring in the mirror and saying a mental farewell to his locks with an added small prayer to literally any higher force that may possibly exist that Hanji wouldn’t get Eren to simply shave off all of his hair.

“Are you sure about that?” asked Eren loudly from the other side of the salon; Levi gritted his teeth and grimaced slightly.  _Not bald. Not bald. Not bald._ “I’m not sure that’s gonna work…I mean I can do it, but…” The doubt in the hairdressers voice made Levi come very close to just walking out, but the moment he thought about it, there were footsteps and he saw the reflection of the other two returning to him in the mirror.

“One last thing,” said Hanji pulling out an eye mask decorated with cartoon eyes with exaggerated eyelashes and sparkly eyeshadow to match, Levi narrowed his eyes at them in the mirror and took the mask. They grinned at him knowingly and Levi remembered the last time he’d lost a bet (to his little sister Isabel) and ended up with a makeover and a cackling Hanji, god and he’d thought  _that_  was bad, at least it wasn’t permanent. He tensed his jaw and put on the mask, determined not to let Hanji know how much it was getting to him.

Levi disliked a lot of things. Dirt. Hypocrisy. Prolonged social interaction. But nothing so much as feeling vulnerable, which was exactly how he felt sitting in a chair with an admittedly very good looking stranger, but nonetheless a  _stranger_  with _scissors_ ¸ being in charge of how he was going to have to look for a good while before he could afford to change it. Which was another point: who exactly was paying for  _this_? Levi had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t going to be Hanji.

For a while Eren seemed to just stroke his fingers through Levi’s hair, pulling it and holding between his index and middle fingers before the ominous buzzing of an electric razor sounded.

_Oh God it_ _’s happening. I_ _’m going bald. I can_ _’t go bald I_ _’ll look like a fucking man-baby, I fucking hate you Hanji, Jesus Christ, you four-eyed piece of-_

Except the razor was simply running over his undercut, curving smoothly under his longer layer before shutting off completely.

“I’ll be right back,” Eren said and the weight of his hand in Levi’s hair disappeared, leaving the man with a softly chuckling Hanji somewhere in the vicinity.

“I hate you, you know,” Levi deadpanned, but his best friend just laughed louder.

“I love you too,  _Levvy_ ,” they said, elongating the mispronunciation, and he could practically see their shit eating grin.

“Fuck you, four-eyes,” he grumbled.

“Y’know I’m not into that,” they said, pushing him playfully – something that his lack of vision made him entirely unprepared for resulting in his almost falling off the chair and earning yet more laughter from Hanji.

“Okay,” Eren breathed out as he came back to the two of them and Hanji’s giggles subsided slightly. Levi felt Eren’s hands in his hair as the man clipped sections of it out the way, followed by a tugging on those that were left and an oddly wet tickling sensation at his scalp.

“The fuck?” he muttered, earning a small chuckle from both Eren and Hanji.

“Just you wait,” replied Hanji; Levi grimaced at the words but knew that really he didn’t have a choice in the matter.

The feeling continued for what felt like hours - maybe it was hours? Levi was having to entirely rely on his internal clock; well, he supposed he could ask what the time was, but that felt like giving up somehow.

“Okay I’m gonna need to move you now,” said Eren after what Levi was convinced must have been at least half a day.

“Move me? Can I take of the mask?” he asked, trying (and failing) to keep the desperation out of his voice.

“Nope!” said Hanji cheerfully. Levi jumped a little when someone’s hand wrapped around his forearm.

“Ah, sorry,” Eren said and Levi relaxed slightly; shrugging off the apology. Eren led him across the room, putting an arm around his lower back when they reached a step - Levi wasn’t usually a fan of physical contact, but the warmth of Eren pressed against him felt almost soothing. The other man turned him around and Levi felt the back of his legs hit into something solid. “Okay sit down now.” Levi obeyed slowly, it felt weird to go ahead and sit down on something he couldn’t see. “Now lean your head back,” Eren said, a slight husk to his voice that Levi was finding it difficult to ignore; water sounded behind him and the shorter man almost sat up straight again before he felt Eren’s hands running through his hair, the movements firm and precise. It felt…good. Levi couldn’t deny it; the mix of the head massage and the warm water running over scalp had him feeling more relaxed than he had been in years, although there was still something quite distracting about Eren’s hands.

“That feels nice,” he muttered, not quite in full control of his mouth.

“Yeah?” Eren asked, his mouth close to Levi’s ear and the shorter man hummed in response.

“I’m still here y'know?” said Hanji a little indignantly, but Levi could hear the smile in their voice. Despite the massage he still had enough presence of mind to give them the middle finger.

After the hair wash they returned to the chair and Eren dried Levi’s hair, then there was what Levi presumed was the styling (i.e. the pulling and combing of seemingly random bits of hair) and finally the hairdresser’s hands left Levi’s head for good. Nobody spoke.

“What’s going on?” asked Levi, breaking the ominous feeling silence.

“Oh right,” said Eren sounding a little out of it. “Yeah,” he finished, seemingly unaware that the word didn’t answer Levi’s question even slightly.

“Can I take the fucking mask off?” he asked, feeling frustrated and vaguely wondering what the hell they’d done to him that warranted such a bizarre reaction.

“Yes, yeah shit sorry, I didn’t…uh.” Levi reached up to his face; it took him a moment to work out where to put his hands, being blindfolded for so long had fucked with his spacial awareness. he finally grasped the edge of the eye mask and pulled it off, squinting to protect his eyes from the light; it was still mildly blinding and for a moment he couldn’t see anything at all, but then his own reflection was coming into focus. His own very blond reflection.

“What the fuck,” he muttered, trying to mentally process the change. Levi wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting but it really hadn’t been this. Was this better or worse than being bald? He caught Eren’s expression in the mirror, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. Definitely better than being bald.

“I wasn’t expecting it to suit you,” complained Hanji looking somewhere between disappointed and kind of impressed.

“Neither was I,” admitted Eren, still seemingly distracted; Levi was finding it hard not to smirk. “I’ll, uh, show you the back,” he continued, remembering his actual duties as a hairdresser.

After letting Levi properly look over his haircut Eren brought over his jacket, holding it so the shorter man could put his arms through and then sorting out the collar, his warm knuckles brushing against the back of Levi’s neck.

“That’ll be thirty five pounds please,” Eren said when they got to the small desk near the entrance. Levi took out forty, not even bothering to wait for Hanji to refuse to pay, and when Eren went to get the change he shook his head.

“Tip,” he explained and the taller man cocked an eyebrow but nodded his thanks.

He printed off the receipt and scrawled something on the back.

“This number’ll get you a discount if you wanna come again,” he said, handing the receipt over and Levi glanced at it before looking back up at Eren with a slight smirk.

“So,” said Hanji after they’d thanked the hairdresser and made their way back onto the high street. “Do you think you’ll go back?”

“Yeah,” Levi replied, holding up the receipt so they could see the mobile number scrawled across the back. “I think I will.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow i just realised that i once used the ending for this for a short prompt and i didn't even realise until now oh god is that bad orz
> 
> anyway queue the thing that comes at the bottom of every chapter:
> 
> I hope you liked it - comments and kudos are always wonderful!
> 
> Subscribe for notifications for new uploads or follow me on tumblr: [levixeren](http://levixeren.tumblr.com)
> 
> <33


	6. The Ten O'Clock Series

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven years post-canon. Kinda angsty and written whilst attempting to be poetic.
> 
> _It had been six months since he’d seen Eren, the last expedition had left without him - after all, humanity's strongest or not, there was only so much fighting anyone could do from a wheelchair._  
>  _When had Eren turned into a man? Surely six months wasn’t enough for that?_
> 
> Length: 1.5k
> 
> On Tumblr: [here](http://levixeren.tumblr.com/post/128587434679/day-one-of-eren-and-levi-canonverse-week-first)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Ereri Canonverse Week 2k15 (I wrote one a day during the week)
> 
> As for the name it's because I always started writing after/around ten o'clock *shrugs*

People say that first impressions are everything; a shadow that hangs over each interaction afterwards, that dulls the colours of reality into a more something more comfortably subdued - something familiar.

But there was nothing familiar about this.

Those green eyes, that soft smile, the way the light seemed to dance across his tanned skin; even the beating of Levi’s heart felt different. New.

It had been six months since he’d seen Eren, the last expedition had left without him - after all, humanity's strongest or not, there was only so much fighting anyone could do from a wheelchair.

When had Eren turned into a man? Surely six months wasn’t enough for that?

He counted off the years on his fingers: seven had passed since he’d first seen the young recruit behind those bars. It had a long time since anyone could have considered him a boy; if they ever had. And yet, Levi had seen him as such; always. He’d been someone to protect, to guide.

“Levi.” There was no ‘Corporal’, no salute, no wariness hiding in his eyes - just a stretched out hand and a warmth of presence like nothing Levi had ever felt before.

“Eren,” he replied, clasping the offered hand in his own and feeling the remnants of shadow slip off of the man’s shoulders.

Familiar and unfamiliar mixed into one body, as dark as the depths of forests and light as the morning sun.

People say that first impressions are everything; but surely, Levi thought, they had never seen this.

 

* * *

 

Eren stayed with him for the ceremony. Their queen announced the names of the dead and the seriously injured, handing out medals to their families as consolation. The glint of metal on Levi’s own chest seemed to him painfully obvious, a marker of the ending of his story - or not the end, but an eternal suspension. He could neither move forward nor back, as paralysed as his own limbs.

He hadn’t meant to stay afterwards. He’d done his duty. But those eyes had searched him; that light had reached towards him and he was caught.

“What’s wrong?”

What wasn’t wrong? Levi wanted to ask, but Eren was gone - taken away by shadows grasping at his light. Levi watched him go, his uniform merging with the rest.

He found himself wondering what stories Eren had heard; whether from person to person Levi’s own story had unravelled itself before him, after all words came all too easy when people didn’t think he could hear.

Since when did he care?

Since…

Petra’s voice echoed inside his head.

_He’s not what people expect to see._

“Levi?” Worry coloured Eren’s voice.

Levi shook his head free of the past: how long had he been thinking? There was a reason he didn’t let himself reminisce; there were too many of the lost to remember. Their light was nothing that the glitter of gold could replace.

He pulled the medal from his chest and let it clatter to the floor beside him.

“Everything’s wrong,” he muttered.

 

* * *

 

The scratch of his wheels against the floor echoed hideously in the corridor.

Levi had refused to let anyone push him before; he didn’t need help, he never had and disability hadn’t changed that. He didn’t rely on people - he was the “hero”, “humanity’s strongest” - people relied on him.

And yet when he’d first felt the jerk of movement and felt the world move beneath him, he’d said nothing: just let himself be carried away from it all.

Maybe that was what he needed? To let the tension slip from his body; to let someone else hold him up.

His shadow flickered on the floor and he wondered if anyone else still saw it.

“What do you want, Levi?”

They kept moving, the question hovering between them.

What did he want?

To escape the underworld; to escape the walls; to escape the very body that kept him hostage.

“Freedom,” he said quietly; but the walls couldn’t hold secrets, the words reverberated around them. The world kept moving beneath him.

“Knock down the walls, let us monsters roam free.

We are the abandoned, and they are we,” Eren chanted softly, a melodic quality to his voice that surrounded Levi, ridding the air of his own words.

He remembered his first time beyond the wall: an unbroken horizon; an endless sky. He would never see the world like that again, but that didn’t mean he should forget it.

“You remind me of someone, Eren - would you mind if I told you about her?”

 

* * *

 

They had started off outside, Eren pushing Levi around the grounds of the palace - but soon enough dark clouds had claimed the sky and the two retreated to a doorway.

The thick wood behind them and the wall of rain in front isolated them from the rest of the world. But Levi was glad. He had never told this story to anyone - and never would. Afterall Eren wasn’t just anyone.

The words were still difficult, sticking in his throat as a last attempt not to leave his body.

Letting go of the past was supposed to lighten you: both heart and mind.

Levi felt none of that. He felt heavier than ever; his past was clinging on, pulling him down: a solidified shadow.

“I’m sorry.” Levi didn’t like pity: it felt all too much like someone was looking down on him, seeing how weak he was. But Eren meant none of that. “Would you tell me more?”

“There’s nothing more to-”

“Not about Isabel - about you, Levi.” His voice was tentative - not out of fear, Levi realised, but care.

What was there to say?

He remembered his mother: a soft warmth turned to ice. He remembered his uncle; his friends; his comrades. Death had stalked Levi since before he had truly known what the word meant. It had taken everyone he’d held close.

Well, nearly everyone.

 

* * *

 

Rainwater dribbled down from the roofs of houses they passed, the infrequent drips the only sounds beyond their own footfalls; it was almost melodic. But maybe Levi was searching for beauty now. Maybe he just needed a distraction.

If he’d ever thought that this new Eren would be out of place in the dreary world inside the walls, with its thin winding paths and grey cobbled streets, then it had been wiped from his mind. The mundane everyday was more than it had ever been, as if the man’s presence alone lent out depth to his surroundings.

Levi swallowed and looked down at the road, keeping an eye out for anything that could cause his wheels any trouble.

It was funny how circumstances change; once Eren had looked up to him, longing to me something more and yet here he was: whole in a way Levi could never be. Had never been and Eren knew that now.

“You don’t have to stay with me.” They’d reached the gates to his bungalow, small and somehow heartless. Levi found himself wondering whether Eren could bring his light there too.

A shadow moved in the forest. He was disappointed - a part of him, the younger part, had expected more. A palace; a castle; a mansion. Something worthy of a hero.

But Levi wasn’t a hero.

Eren didn’t answer and Levi had no choice but to make his way up the smooth ramp to his door and into his house; he could sense the younger man following, but didn’t stop him.

No one had been in Levi’s house since he’d moved there and dust clung to the areas that he couldn’t reach: the room felt empty. But there were no shadows there. Levi could see it in Eren’s eyes as he took in the room - a house of bones; a cave where monsters dwell.

Loneliness, fragility, weakness: nothing like what he remembered.

Eren stood in the doorway, seemingly unsure of whether to take the final steps into the room, as if it were a point of no return. Levi supposed it was in some ways. He looked on at the reality of Levi and he had a choice: he stayed, or he turned his back on it all.

And if he did Levi would be fine, life would continue as it was - he would continue as he was. Caged; alone; broken. But that was no different to how he’d ever been.

Eren’s eyes met his, a brightness there that overwhelmed him.

He was darkness and Eren was light.

He stepped forward - the look in his eyes confident, compassionate, all encompassing: Levi could hardly breathe.

It was like the end of an eclipse.

Levi clutched at his wheelchair, closing his eyes against the tears threatening to drown any remnants of composure he’d managed to retain. There were wings in his chest - thumping against his ribcage: alive and thriving.

For the first time in his life, Levi was free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it - comments and kudos are always wonderful!
> 
> Subscribe for notifications for new uploads or follow me on tumblr: [levixeren](http://levixeren.tumblr.com)


	7. I Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> throw back to song fics
> 
> Eren reflects on his feelings for Levi after the death of the rest of his squad. Song fic for Amber Run's I Found [listen to the song]
> 
> Warnings: mentioned death of Levi’s new squad and mental instability

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more of me attempting to be vaguely poetic B)
> 
> length: i cba to check but not long

It had been a month since anyone else had seen Levi.  
Eren wasn’t sure why he was still allowed to see him, but he didn’t ask; he spent each evening sat in the captain’s room, neither of them speaking but nonetheless finding some solace in each other’s company.  
It wasn’t like Eren had anyone else anymore.  
The soldiers wouldn’t speak Levi’s name and he couldn’t tell if it was out of respect or shame; he’d taken to chanting it over and over in his mind just to remind himself that the man was real. Even when sat in the captain’s quarters, watching Levi lying across his bed – eyes open towards the ceiling and dust collecting around the room – it was hard to believe the man was any more than a ghost.

_I’ll use you as a warning sign, that if you talk enough sense then you’ll lose your mind._

Levi hated unnecessary death.  
He hated it and yet it was all he saw day in and day out.  
People thought he was emotionless, that he’d killed any trace of humanity in him – or perhaps that he’d never had any at all. But Eren knew otherwise; he knew how having to keep talking sense had slowly chipped away at Levi’s sanity, until –  
Well, until there was nothing left.

_I’ll use you as a focal point, so I don’t lose sight of what I want_

Eren had almost stopped believing. In himself; in his fight.  
Losing everything tends to do that to a person.  
But he hadn’t lost everything.  
He still had Levi.  
A fractured, hollow version of the man, but nonetheless something to focus on, something to fight for. Eren would fight to the end if he could get even an ounce of his captain back.

_I’ve move further than I thought I could, but I missed you more than I thought I would_

Once he thought like that his training got easier; his shifting capabilities strengthened, his focus improved, humanity was advancing faster than Eren had ever imagined.  
He missed his friends more than anything.  
He knew he would.  
What surprised him was how much he missed Levi; how much it hurt to have the man right in front of him and yet not there at all.

_I found love where it wasn’t supposed to be, right in front of me_

Eren knew he shouldn’t feel like this, knew he should just bury it and move on.  
But no matter how hard he tried he found himself inexplicably drawn to Levi.  
He tried to tell himself that it was just a reaction to having no one else left.  
And maybe it was…  
But for Eren that didn’t change anything.

_Talk some sense to me_

He wondered what Mikasa and Armin would have told him; probably what he needed to hear: that he couldn’t afford to have feelings like this.  
Love didn’t save anyone in his world.  
Love killed.  
Love destroyed.

But for the moment, there was nothing else to keep him going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it - comments and kudos are always wonderful!
> 
> Subscribe for notifications for new uploads or follow me on tumblr: [levixeren](http://levixeren.tumblr.com)


	8. Branching Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi gets stuck up a tree trying to save his cat Erwin and Eren comes to the rescue. Sort of.
> 
> Length: 1.5k
> 
> On Tumblr: here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back to the fluffy fic :o
> 
> written for the wonderful Shulkie's birthday

This was not how Levi had envisioned spending his Sunday morning.

“Erwin,” he called, squinting slightly through the leaves of the tree. “Erwin, for fuck’s sake, get down.” The cat stared down at him smugly. “I don’t have time for this, I have shit to do, c’mon.” Those eyes stared back at him expectantly and Levi ground his teeth. “ _Please_ ,” he added, unwillingly. The cat seemed happy enough with the forced politeness and to Levi’s relief began to tentatively make his way down towards his owner – until…

“Meow.” Levi was tempted to just walk away and pretend that he didn’t even own a goddamn cat. “ _Meow,”_ the cat continued more insistently – his paws tentatively pressing different branches in an attempt to find a way back down. He stopped, retreating further back for safety before turning his eyes to Levi and mewing quietly.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” huffed Levi, nonetheless starting towards the tree.

Levi wasn’t built for climbing trees; his feet scraped uselessly against the all too smooth tree trunk and it was only through a mixture of superb upper body strength and an unrelenting determination that he got anywhere. As it turned out however, that combination was enough to get him to the same branch as his cat – one a good few meters off the ground that Levi suspected would do more than a little damage if he fell.

“Okay Erwin,” Levi coaxed. “C’mon, let’s go.” The cat cocked his head to the side glanced between Levi and the ground and promptly jumped off of the branch and landed perfectly on the grass below. “Oh, so  _now_ you get down huh?” the man huffed, shuffling his way carefully back to thick trunk of the tree.

How had he gotten up again?

Levi searched the tree for any sign of the holds he’d managed to drag himself up on, but could see nothing he was willing to risk breaking his neck on. He reangled his body into a more comfortable position and gazed up into the sky wondering how on earth he was going to get down.

“Fuck me,” he said loudly, banging his head back against the tree in frustration, wondering why he’d had to leave his phone at home.

“What the hell?” a voice came from beneath and Levi started slightly, clinging tighter onto a nearby tree branch as he peered down at the brown mop of hair that was moving around as its owner looked around the tree in alarm.

Oh no – this was just  _too_  good.

“That’s right,” Levi said and the man stopped moving. “ _Fuck me.”_

“Seriously, what the fuck?” asked the brunet, his hair shifting as he turned back and forth in search of the voice.

“There’s a hole in my bark round the other side, it’s just the right size for you to-” He looked up, his bluey-green eyes meeting Levi’s and the rest of the sentence died on his lips.

“Oh my God,” the man said, seeming somewhere between laughter and utter confusion. “What are you doing? How did you even get up there?”

“I…climbed,” Levi replied, feeling embarrassed – he hadn’t exactly thought this far ahead and he certainly hadn’t accounted for how goddamn attractive the guy would be.

“What? Your daily exercise or…?” the brunet prompted.

“My cat was stuck up here.”

“Oh…was?”

“He’s behind you now.” The man turned around and looked at the cat for a while before bending down on one knee and making that instinctive tutting noise that for some unknown reason brought the cat plodding happily towards him.

“What’s he called?” The brunet said, sitting down on the grass facing Levi and letting the cat crawl onto his lap.

“Erwin.”

He made a face. “That’s a shit name for a cat.”

“It’s a shit cat,” Levi replied, glaring a little at the little ball of fluff that was responsible for his current predicament.

“What about you, you got a shit name too?” asked the other man and Levi snorted, meeting those eyes again and smirking slightly.

“Levi. You?”

“Eren.”  _Eren_ , huh – unusual but nice. “So what? You stuck up there or something?”

“No, I’m just here for fun,” Levi snarked and Eren arched an eyebrow.

“Oh, so I should just go, should I?” he said with false sincerity and Levi couldn’t stop himself emitting a small noise of alarm, earning a satisfied smile from Eren. “I didn’t think so.”

“Okay, yes I am stuck; I am stuck and – wait is that Nile?” Levi’s heart stopped as he squinted towards the man crossing to their side of the road a several houses over. “Shit, shit it is – okay just, pretend I’m not here okay,” he hissed and Eren pulled a face. “Stop fucking looking at me idiot, he’ll see me. He can’t see me. I’m stuck up a fucking  _tree_.”

“Oh? Got a reputation to uphold, have we?” the brunet asked, smirking.

“Fuck off,” Levi muttered, trying to position himself so he wouldn’t be visible from below: he glanced down and saw that Eren indeed had turned away and was once again fussing over Levi’s cat.

Nile came and passed; leaving him able to breathe a little easier at the knowledge of his freedom from public humiliation. Not only were he and Nile near enough neighbours, but Levi also had the absolute _pleasure_  of working with him and really there was only so much power he was willing to give the man over him in the workplace.

“Are you ready to get down now?” said Eren, his voice babying and an amused smile curving his lips.

“What part of ‘I’m stuck’ are you having difficulty understanding?” Levi retorted, with a huff.

“Just jump down,” the brunet shrugged, as if the whole thing was obvious – Levi stared at him in blank disbelief, unsure whether Eren was stupid or had some genuine death wish for him.

“I’ll break my neck,” he pointed out but the other man just rolled his eyes.

“Don’t be so overdramatic.” Levi scowled – he was _not_  overdramatic. “I’ll catch you.” He was so stuck on the first part of Eren’s sentence that he almost missed the second. Almost.

“What do you mean ‘you’ll catch me’?” he answered, sounding somewhere between disgust and alarm.

“Exactly what I said, dumbass.” Oh, so the guy told him to jump out of a tree and  _he_  was the dumbass.

“No fucking way.”

“Why not?”

“There’s no way you’re gonna catch me.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Bet on it, then.”

Levi wasn’t thinking – he was too caught up in their frankly childish fight to think straight and before he knew it the words were tumbling out of his mouth.

“Fine. What are the stakes?” Levi barely had time to regret agreeing before Eren’s whole face seemed to light up and, once he’d seen that, he couldn’t quite bring himself to feel anything negative at all.

“One request. You win, you get to ask one thing of me; I win, I get to ask one thing of you,” he said, his eyes studying Levi for a reaction and a slight smile pulling at his lips. Levi bit his lip slightly before nodding in agreement.

This was how he was destined to die: jumping from a tree because he couldn’t control his mouth around some pretty-boy stranger with messy hair and bright eyes. It was pretty much a lose-lose situation; either he was seriously injured (and so unable to ask for his request) or he won and was put at the mercy of a man he’d known for less than half an hour.

“Are you ready?” Eren called as Levi steadied himself on various branches, ready to make a leap of faith into his arms. No. No he wasn’t ready, he wasn’t even _slightly_  ready. He nodded anyway. “3, 2 –.”

Levi didn’t wait for the countdown to finish, instead he flung himself in what he hoped was the general direction of Eren and hoped for the best.

His aim turned out to be relatively accurate, he supposed, as he smashed into the other man and brought them both to the ground – Eren let out a soft ‘oof’ at the impact, but otherwise seemed unhurt.

“You okay?” Levi asked anyway, still trying to process his own return to ground level.

“Uh huh. You?” replied Eren, sounding slightly out of breath.

Levi was quiet a moment, closing his eyes and trying to concentrate on his body; his knees were probably a little bruised, but other than that he was surprisingly unhurt. “Yeah,” he muttered, opening his eyes and looking straight down into Eren’s. Levi became very aware of his own positioning, pretty much straddling Eren, with no more than a couple of inches between their faces – he made to move but a glint in the other man’s eyes kept him there.

“So,” Levi started, his eyes still interlocked with Eren’s. “What’s your request?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it - comments and kudos are always wonderful!
> 
> Subscribe for notifications for new uploads or follow me on tumblr: [levixeren](http://levixeren.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it - comments and kudos are always wonderful!
> 
> Subscribe for notifications for new uploads or follow me on tumblr: [levixeren](http://levixeren.tumblr.com)


End file.
